English Colony sounding names

[HippopotamusDundee]

The idea of nature and our conflict with it has been pretty prominent in fantasy - Tolkien, of course, is preoccupied with this conflict.

I agree that it gets discussed at a larger and more meta level - more as society/technology vs. nature - but I'm more interested in the smaller scale conflict of communities trying to battle & co-operate in turns with nature in order to survive.

Arguably, the early colonial history of North America doesn't supply the same kind of mythic grist for the mill (until the founding fathers get on the scene, anyway!).

I think it hasn't been in the past, but that doesn't mean there's no potential there - I can see huge possibilities to explore creation-stories and the narratives of city-and-nation-building and ideas about exceptionalism (using both ideas of folk-heroism ala Johnny Appleseed & Daniel Boone but also reworkings of the demi-god narrative).

I suppose I agree it has been neglected, but I think it's a little tragic that's the case because I see great potential.

[Steerpike]

I think that's a pretty astute analysis, Elemental Elf.  Particularly #3.

Of course, there's no reason the players have to be colonists - they could as easily be indigenous characters adapting to/repelling the colonists.

Side note, I don't really see a ton of Old West style games either. Many of the ones that do exist add in Steam Punk elements, thereby blending genres.

I agree there's a lot of genre-overlap with Westerns; historically, at least, though, the Old West/Wild West has been fairly popular as a setting, starting with the seminal Boot Hill (1975) which was TSR's third roleplaying game.  Deadlands, though certainly genre-bending, is pretty huge and has been adapted to tons of different systems.  Never compared to medieval fantasy, though.

I suppose I agree it has been neglected, but I think it's a little tragic that's the case because I see great potential.

I agree there's a lot of untapped potential in the period.  After all, this is a hugely formative and fascinating time politically.

[Gamer Printshop]

Well I'm glad to see this thread come alive!

My thoughts on this. I can agree that a purely historical game surrounding the Colonial period of North America could be problematic, so is why this map is completely fictional with its own implied alternate world history surrounding it (not to mention a completely made up land that only resembles the east coast of North America). Of course I did not have some developed setting concept before I created this map - development kind of came into its own, as I began labeling this map.

Nova Sarum: Sarum was the Roman name for the city of Salisbury, England. Actually using Londinium instead of New London, as well as names to rivers like Little Avon and West Thames. Using these old titles suggest the possibility of what if Rome didn't vacate Britain. Could Catholicm still be a strong presence in British history, such that Britain isn't significantly Protestant history?

New Strathclyde: Strathclyde was a Irish Kingdom in southern Scotland in pre-Roman days, part of Dal Riada a kingdom based in Ulster that stretched across the Irish Sea. This somewhat implies that neither Ireland, nor Scotland has been fully absorbed by the British kingdom, such that they are neighbors, not fiefdoms of the British crown. Also bringing in a little Shakespeare, notice Fort MacBeth in the western parts of Bethland just across the border from Fort Irwin in New Strathclyde. In Shakespeare's MacBeth, King Malcolm Irwin is the king that MacBeth poisons to become king of Scotland, himself. Later Malcolm's son revenges upon MacBeth and slays the entire family.

I was incorporating a bit of my own ancestry here (on my grandmother's side), as Malcolm Irwin is an ancestor of mine, as well as the kings of Strathclyde. Also, however, if you look at the placement of Ft. Irwin/Ft. MacBeth, they lie on the south end of this map's analog Appalachian mountains, which kind of reflects the location of the Hatfields and McCoys. A clan feud exists between the commanders (and clans) at Ft. Irwin and Ft. MacBeth. Also politically (in the implied setting of this map), the Pawachee Gap serves as an important passage through the mountainous barrier that separates the coastal regions from the interior. Since New Strathclyde controls the entrance to the Gap, it is likely that New Strathclyde seeks to control the Gap. Of course the main passage through the Gap is in the boundries of Bethland. There is likely an ongoing skirmishes across the boundry between the two colonies, with an inevitability to war in the near future.

For comparative analogs: Nova Sarum is a puritanical Catholic New England, Patronia is New York/New Jersey, New Strathclyde is Virginia, Bethland is Maryland, Henricia and Carlotia are the Carolinas and Georgia. Its not the full thirteen colonies, but the major ones.

Another thought that popped up while I was developing this. What if church and state are weaker, with a powerful merchant companies and guilds holding sway in the world, as if much of the European powers were corporations - or varying companies like the Dutch East India Company. Something like todays world where corporations and multi-nationals have more power than many nation states.

If a colonial game was based on real history, I can see lots of the problems brought up in this thread, as to why such might not be as popular a game setting as medieval or Old West. However, by turning history on its head, and incorporating different political ambitions - something interesting might be born.

Anyway, these were the thoughts I developed as I was doing this map.

[Steerpike]

Was Bethland a reference to Macbeth, then, and not Queen Elizabeth?

[Gamer Printshop]

It was a reference to Queen Elizabeth. Note Port Lizabeth. MacBeth was just a coincidence - smaller house than the Tudors.

I'm seeing the events of MacBeth as current and here in the Crown Colonies, and not reflective to events from the 10th century, as is the story of MacBeth.

[Steerpike]

Ah, OK.  A Catholic Queen Elizabeth is a crazy-interesting prospect.

Did you envision anything unusual for a New France analogue?

[Gamer Printshop]

I kept New France in mind, but didn't actually include it in the map. However, one small aside towards native/French history. Notice the northernmost river on this map - Obwandiyag. This is the actual Iroquois name, that the French "Frankized" into Pontiac. The story as I heard it, when Pontiac was a baby, on his name day, his mother brought him into the chief's hut while he was bawling like a healthy baby. The mother told the baby to "stop it" and he did. Obwan is Iroquois for "he's stopping it". Diyag, was Pontiac's paternal grandfather, and with great pride asked that the boy be named after him. Since Pontiac was primarily an ally of New France, that was my "New France" inclusion.

I see France and England at war, like they were throughout real history, however, the wars aren't religiously based. However, I did imagine that there was kind of a Catholic Reformation, that followed the corruptions of the Borgias, and now there are several factions of the Catholic church, including one that considers the Pope, as the Arch Bishop of Rome only, and not as having any ecclesiastic powers over other Catholic nations. Some factions still support the Pope, but Pretannia's (Britains) version is more of a puritanical view of Catholism, and likely that France is not.

[Steerpike]

Interesting stuff.  Did the Great Schism play out as normal in this universe?

Incidentally, I now have outlines for two colonial horror adventures set in mid-1700s fantasy New England... I'm going to have to write and run these now.

[Gamer Printshop]

I imagine there being an analog Constantinople as well as the Ottoman Turks. Since this wasn't centric to the map's design - I haven't fully restructured European history, just hints of might have played out if key moments in history did not happen or events went differently.

[HippopotamusDundee]

Incidentally, I now have outlines for two colonial horror adventures set in mid-1700s fantasy New England... I'm going to have to write and run these now.

Excellent...

[Kindling]

Have you thought about naming places directly after obscure little places in the UK? I mean, Boston is a smallish village near where I grew up.... But obviously the American Boston is a little more significant.

In fiction this has a precedent - Gotham is another small village in the same (rough) area as Boston.

[Rose-of-Vellum]

Incidentally, I now have outlines for two colonial horror adventures set in mid-1700s fantasy New England... I'm going to have to write and run these now.

Excellent...

Seconded!

[Gamer Printshop]

@Kindling - well I didn't include that many communities on the map, as its still supposed to be relatively early in its settlement period. I did have the thought of perusing through an atlas of England, and find names that could be easily changed, like removing 'ton', 'burg', 'ham' and replacing with a different one, but as stated I only needed a few communities so it wasn't a major concern.

Regarding this period in history and its possibilities as a gameable setting, has anyone here read the "Alvin the Maker" series by Orson Scott Card? Its set in an alternative history America with some low fantasy magic inclusions, though it is really set in the years following the Revolutionary War, approximately 1800. There are a couple historic figures mentioned, some with minimal dialog but actual characters in the story, including Napoleon. Ben Franklin is mentioned as a wizard. Everyone has a knack, some singular skill or arcane ability. For some its a simple as keeping accurate accounts, always measuring exactly, pyrotechnics (a spark to cause fire), etc. I've read 4 books in the series and the story is basically set in the period from 1800 up to the Civil War. Its actually a very cool set of stories.

[Tzi]

I know it is a bit late, but I've actually made a colonial North America themed setting ages ago and it was set in a region divided between multiple colony "states," akin to say New England. I believe I titled the setting "Heart of Darkness." As the continent was vast, unexplored and unknown. I tended to use names derived from cultures, for one a common practice is to name a Colony after someone. For example I had one Colony called "Sadieland," literally the Land named for Sadie. Whom was the wife of the explorer who landed there and received a royal charter to settle there. Others were New Caledonia, in the far south a rival empire had Sierra Sancheca and Annetta. Ect ect.

I agree with others, It isn't a well touched on era in American history. Primarily because IMHO it comes from a radically different era in American History that really predates our modern American culture. Before the Civil War, America wasn't really a united country as it is today. The States were culturally very separate and regions practically were like different countries with very different cultural customs. Vermont and Virginia were extreme different and very much disliked one another. Which is a theme I played at in my own campaign. When a deep 2 year winter gripped the world the motherlands lost control over the colonies and quickly the colonies descended into strife. Some forming coalitions, In some corners men rallied armies to declare themselves Kings, fledgling democracies formed, ect. The Old West is more familiar because by then America, the land we know, really came to be. Also thanks to Hollywood and books the era of the Civil War and after it in the Wild West really has a plethora of cultural material, were as (Save for a few documentaries, an Assassins Creed game, and a Tim Burton movie) the colonial period and its stories really gets a lot less coverage. Also the colonial period mainly deals with a much smaller America. It is mainly the story of New England, Virginia, The Carolina's, Georgia. Most of America that we know now did not exist, were as in the Wild West we cover the continent, so it is more familiar to us.

But also in a Colonial setting I was able to turn up the horror factor. One example was a quest were the party encountered a town besieged by a murderous werewolf. And stalked by a witch. The witch actually it turned out was the sister of the werewolf and was attempting to keep her locked up but the town militia wanted to be rid of her and was looking about her home for evidence to use against her when they unwittingly let the werewolf free from the basement. Of course those who freed it never returned, and the militia began to rally the town against the witch connecting her with the sudden appearance of the werewolf.... deeper then that the head of the militia wanted the witches house and land since it had excellent timber for his mill business and he didn't like the competition.

Other quests were a desperate tribe of natives whose Shaman made infernal pacts with beasts of the pit to give them advantages over the colonists in war. This however came at a price, as the tribe slowly morphed into tieflings and their black magic twisted the lands they were fighting to save.

[Hibou]

I know it is a bit late, but I've actually made a colonial North America themed setting ages ago and it was set in a region divided between multiple colony "states," akin to say New England. I believe I titled the setting "Heart of Darkness." As the continent was vast, unexplored and unknown. I tended to use names derived from cultures, for one a common practice is to name a Colony after someone. For example I had one Colony called "Sadieland," literally the Land named for Sadie. Whom was the wife of the explorer who landed there and received a royal charter to settle there. Others were New Caledonia, in the far south a rival empire had Sierra Sancheca and Annetta. Ect ect.

This sounds pretty cool. Did you post it anywhere?
I agree with others, It isn't a well touched on era in American history. Primarily because IMHO it comes from a radically different era in American History that really predates our modern American culture. Before the Civil War, America wasn't really a united country as it is today. The States were culturally very separate and regions practically were like different countries with very different cultural customs. Vermont and Virginia were extreme different and very much disliked one another. Which is a theme I played at in my own campaign. When a deep 2 year winter gripped the world the motherlands lost control over the colonies and quickly the colonies descended into strife. Some forming coalitions, In some corners men rallied armies to declare themselves Kings, fledgling democracies formed, ect. The Old West is more familiar because by then America, the land we know, really came to be. Also thanks to Hollywood and books the era of the Civil War and after it in the Wild West really has a plethora of cultural material, were as (Save for a few documentaries, an Assassins Creed game, and a Tim Burton movie) the colonial period and its stories really gets a lot less coverage. Also the colonial period mainly deals with a much smaller America. It is mainly the story of New England, Virginia, The Carolina's, Georgia. Most of America that we know now did not exist, were as in the Wild West we cover the continent, so it is more familiar to us.

But also in a Colonial setting I was able to turn up the horror factor. One example was a quest were the party encountered a town besieged by a murderous werewolf. And stalked by a witch. The witch actually it turned out was the sister of the werewolf and was attempting to keep her locked up but the town militia wanted to be rid of her and was looking about her home for evidence to use against her when they unwittingly let the werewolf free from the basement. Of course those who freed it never returned, and the militia began to rally the town against the witch connecting her with the sudden appearance of the werewolf.... deeper then that the head of the militia wanted the witches house and land since it had excellent timber for his mill business and he didn't like the competition.

Other quests were a desperate tribe of natives whose Shaman made infernal pacts with beasts of the pit to give them advantages over the colonists in war. This however came at a price, as the tribe slowly morphed into tieflings and their black magic twisted the lands they were fighting to save.

This sounds pretty cool. Did you post it anywhere?